


The Sweet Embrace Of Death

by mikado214



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, death but like in the rogue lite way so he'll be fiiine, zagreus: i may not show it but dying again and again really do be affecting me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27031261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikado214/pseuds/mikado214
Summary: One more time.Zagreus dies.One more time.He fails an escape.But this time he isn't alone.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 151





	The Sweet Embrace Of Death

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is inspired by a comic made by an artist that I really love (with his consent of course)  
> You can follow him on twitter at @kfov_851  
> The comic that was the inspiration for this fan fic (and from where quite a bit of the dialogue comes from):  
> https://twitter.com/kfov_851/status/1315921563066142721?s=20

Death.   
Zagreus is familiar with it.  
It’s cruel, cold, painful.

Death bites,  **_hard_ ** .

But Zagreus bites back.   
  
Or… At least when he can.

_ “This place good, Zag?” _

Ah right, he had almost forgotten.   
Zagreus is on his deathbed.   
And looking over him, Death himself.   
He wonders sometimes, how come Thanatos’ hands can be so gentle and soft when Death always yanks at his hair and drags him through the dirt until he spits out blood.  
How come the blood pumping through Than’s veins is warm just like his when the Styx waves always chill him to the bones?   
  
_ “... Zag?”  
_ Thanatos again, his voice even more worried now.   
He did forget to answer him…   
_ “Oh yeah! Sorry, was lost in my thoughts. Hmm yeah, this place is cozy enough for me.”  
_ Anywhere is cozy enough as long as Than is holding him like that though, but the support of the pillar does help.  
A beat of silence, filled with uncertainty.  
_ “Erm… How are you feeling?”  
_ They both know how stupid that question is.   
Both see the pooling red blood around Zagreus, despite him holding onto his wound, his purple-stained fingers from his boons with Dionysus now covered in crimson.  
_ “Well… Even with the centaur heart… I’m still feeling pretty low… Hah!”  
_ The chuckle brought out more blood from his mouth. He pretended like he didn’t feel the spike of pain, like this was all just a game.

Like it was just like their little spar that gave him all those wounds, like the centaur heart of his win was worth dying for.   
  
Thanatos is no fool though.

But he isn’t really sure how to say it to Zagreus.

_ “You know Zag…” _ the words come out of his mouth before he can truly think about it, and they just keep on coming, what was left unsaid for so long too heavy to be kept behind a lock now.  _ “It’s really frustrating when you joke about your pain like that.” _

_ “You’ve tried to escape hundreds of times…”  
_ ~~ The snow, melting under his hot feet, the blinding sun, the smell of fresh herb in his mother’s cottage, her calloused hand caressing his face so tenderly, the air feeling his lung, breathing in… breathing out… ~~

_ “You’ve died hundreds more…”  
_ ~~ All of this makes everything worth it. Every burn, every punctured lung, bruises, wound, broken bones and tears. Every time the flames of the fury finished him, every time the hydra’s heads sent him flying into the lava to his death, every time Theseus spear stabbed him in the back as Asterius horns lunged into him, every time his father spear lodged itself into his chest. He might be a god, but his flesh is soft, his bones are breakable, and his blood is  _ red. _ ~~

_ “So, don’t try to act like it doesn’t hurt every time.”  
_ ~~ And of course, it hurt Thanatos. Of course, he wants to cry, wants to scream out in pain, wants to break down into tiny pieces, and never be put back together just so that the pain would stop.   
  
But what kind of god would that make him if he let it be known?  
  
~~

And then Thanatos’ voice break  
_ “I want you to come home but…”  
_ Wait what’s that on Zagreus' face…? Not blood no that’s…  
_ “I don’t want to keep sending you off like this.”  
_ Oh, those are tears… Not his own but Than’s…

And Than’s head lower on Zagreus’ shoulder, and it’s at that moment he realizes that he cannot remember the last time someone was that close to him, both physically and emotionally.  
_ “At least do me the favor of considering me ‘home’ enough to cry around me.” _

And Zagreus isn’t sure why it’s this sentence in particular, or maybe it’s an accumulation of so many things before but…

This breaks him.   
  
And for the first time in what feels like centuries (and for all he knows very well might be), Zagreus cries.   
Not just a few tears no, but fat, ugly tears, sobs wracking through his body and making him cough.   
And Thanatos holds onto him, holds him into his arm in this tender way that only him seems to know.   
And Zagreus holds onto him too, desperately, clutching to his arm like an anchor in a stormy sea.

And once the tears calm down, and Zagreus know the Styx is close, that he can feel it lapping at his feet, he says in a hoarse voice  
_ “Than… I am so tired.” _

_ “I know Zag. You can rest, it's okay. I’m here. I’m not letting go.” _

_ “But then what’s next Than, huh?” _

_ “Well… You come back into the house and…” _

_ “... And I try again… And again…” _

_ “Maybe this time you don’t have to. At least not yet.” _

_ “But then what?” _

_ “We can stay in your room. You could tell me about all your different journeys. We could lay in your bed and just talk.” _

_ “... That does sound nice…” _

Thanatos fingers pass through Zagreus' hair, his eyes close for a bit. He isn’t sure he’ll be able to open them again.

_ “Maybe you could sing me that song Orpheus sings sometimes in the hall. It sounds lovely in your voice. I’ve heard you hum it sometimes…” _

_ “... you mean… the song that Eurydice taught me…?” _

_ “Yes… Why don’t you sing it now?” _

Zagreus chuckles, weakly.  
_ “Is now truly the time for songs Thanatos?” _

_ “Maybe it is… Maybe it isn't. Who knows. We’ll only find out if you sing it.” _

Another chuckle, even weaker than the last.   
But hey. A song does sound like a nice way to leave...   
  
And so he sings.   
His voice shakes. It is so broken, barely able to hold up a note right.   
But it’s still beautiful, in its own way.   
The lullaby of a dying man.

_ “...Farewell…” _

Thanatos holds his hand. It is so soft compared to his own littered by tiny scars.

_ “...To all... the earthly remains...” _

The fresh grass of Elysium tickles his back, yet it is not even close to the softness of the one on the surface.

_ “...No burdens...” _

Zagreus squeezes Thanatos' hand into his own, weakly, barely counting as a reciprocation, but the thought was there.

_ “...No further... debts... to be paid...” _

He feels something leave from his body, powers that do not belong to him… His boons…?

_ “...Atlas...” _

He opens his eyes, one last time.

_ “...Can rest... his weary... bones...” _

Over him is Than’s face, smiling softly, and yet his eyes were so sad. He rarely sees such features adorn the face of his lover.

_ “...The weight of... the world...” _

Thanatos whips away some of the blood dripping from his mouth with his other hand, cupping his face into his hand as he does it.

_ “...All… falls... away...” _

Zagreus closes his eyes again, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

_ “...In... time...” _

But still, through the pain in his chest and the dried tears on his cheeks, Zagreus smiles.

_ “...Goodbye-” _

His words are cut short by his own dying breath.   
Beautiful irony to finish on this line, isn’t it?   
  
And so…   
  


  
  
  
  
  
  


  
Zagreus……

  
  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
Falls……

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The waves of the Styx are gentle for once, he sinks into it like a dream of an embrace.

Than has to let go for that moment.   
But it’s okay.   
He knows he’ll be back.


End file.
